The Screaming Bunny is a large stuffed rabbit whose face has been replaced with three television monitors, two depicting eyes and one showing his mouth. The bunny is strapped into a "screaming-bunny-restraining-chair."

In part one of The Screaming Bunny Songs, an actor portrays a research scientist who has brought the bunny home as a part of an animal research experiment. The actor and the bunny never interact. Instead, we hear the text of a letter that the scientist writes, explaining the experiment and its unexpected cruel metamorphosis to a friend. At the end of the piece, the bunny sings a poignant song about his connectedness to the Earth.

Parts two and three examine the bunny's life in the lab. The plot thickens!

About Mark Bryan

Mark Bryan's exhibit is the cover story in the Pasadena Weekly. See www.pasadena.com

Mark's artwork has appeared frequently in AdBusters and Juxtapoz.

Bryan says, "'Ever since I can remember, I've been troubled by the state of things. Maybe it was all that talk about heaven in Sunday school. A perfect world, why isn't it like that here? I feel ripped off. Even the animals didn't eat each other in heaven. Imagine that."

"You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." - Leon Trotsky

"Given this beautiful planet, our intelligence, talent and opposable thumbs, one would think that things for us would be a lot better than they are. I suppose I've carried a general disappointment in human nature for quite a while that makes itself apparent in most of my work. It seems to me that in terms of what we do to each other and to our environment, we really are fiddling while Rome burns. Perhaps we are either too smart or too dumb for our own good.

As a result of this perspective, satirical work is the logical direction for me. Humor allows for comment to be made without alienating the viewer. I believe it also shows a larger view and some affection and sympathy for the players in it."

"Mark Twain and I are in very much the same position. We have put things in such a way as to make people who would otherwise hang us, believe that we are joking." - George Bernard Shaw

"In my paintings I see the world as a cosmic stage for human activity. I'm in the audience like a court reporter taking notes with my sketchbook and brushes, playing the critic, here to observe and make comment.

I usually begin a painting with a beautiful natural landscape, but can't seem to leave it at that. Because of my need to make comment, I feel compelled to fill it up with depictions of absurd human activities and/or violent acts of revenge by Mother Nature. These depictions are full of symbolism, exaggeration and parody, much in the manner of political cartoons. I like to show men involved in their own tiny dramas while oblivious to greater and more powerful forces around them."

"Men go to war because they enjoy it." - General John Pershing

"Most of my work in the past has had social, religious or political undertones and made comments in a symbolic and general way about the human predicament. It was not aimed at specific individuals or situations, but events in the world and the political direction of this country in the past few years have been alarming to me. I feel that it is a time for artists with a political bent to make stronger statements with a clearer message. I don’t know if this really has much effect on the situation, I hope so, but at least it has a therapeutic value for me and others of like mind seem happy to see their feelings made real visually. I have attempted to retain in the work the fun that can come from satire and parody and at the same time deal with these serious subjects.

Not all my work is satirical and colored with a cynical perspective. When I've had enough of social comment for a while, I change direction and create work that is just for fun or try to explore more positive aspects of our existence.

Apart from all the trouble we cause ourselves, I believe we are immersed in a powerful and beautiful mystery.

The fact of our existence is a great riddle to me. Gauguin in his famous painting asks 'Whence do we Come? What are We? Whither are we going?' For me, those questions are always worth trying to answer."

About Garry Eister

Garry Eister studied with Edward Applebaum, Peter Fricker, Emma Lou Diemer and considers Daniel Lentz to be his mentor. During their association in Santa Barbara in the 1970's, he performed with Lentz's groups on the West Coast and on four European tours. Eister has a Ph.D. in music composition from UCSB and lives in Arroyo Grande, California. He works as an artist-in-residence in Santa Barbara County schools, teaching folk songs and musical games to elementary school children.

Eister's music has been performed in Germany, Holland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, France, Belgium, Italy, Japan, Poland, Iran and in various cities in the United States. His compositions have been performed and/or recorded by:

- The Emerson String Quartet - Kent Nagano - The Cleveland Chamber Symphony - Daniel Lentz's ensembles - The San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival Orchestra - Just Strings - The USC New Music Ensemble - The Cuesta Master Chorale - The San Luis Obispo Youth Symphony - The Sinfonia di vetro - Glass Armonicist Dennis James - Flautist Fred Lau - Percussionist Doug Ovens - The Synchronia new music ensemble of St. Louis - Nancy Nagano and Kyomi Kato- cello/piano duo - Guitarists Lily Afshar, James Edwards, Jesus Saiz-Huedo, Peter Yates, and John Schneider - Singers Jacalyn Kreitzer, Jonathan Mack, John Duykers, Hector Vasquez, Maria Jette, Kathy Barata and others - Kennedy Center and Wigmore Hall (London) In 2005, guitarist Lily Afshar performed his "Fantasia On a Traditional Persian Song" at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and at Wigmore Hall in London. The piece is included on her Archer Records CD, "Hemispheres." - Carnegie Hall - In April of '01, the Kreitzer/Davies/Nagano Trio performed his monodrama, "Like Writing on Water," at the Weil Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall in New York. - Sony Classical - His "Quintet for Glass and Strings" was recorded by Dennis James and the Emerson String Quartet for "Cristal: Glass Music Through the Ages," an album of music for instruments made of glass, produced by Linda Ronstadt and John Boylan for Sony Classical.